The U.S. Supreme Court has given President Donald Trump the green light to dismiss three Democratic members of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), significantly expanding his control over federal agencies.
The Court overturned a ruling by federal judge Matthew Maddox in Maryland, who had temporarily blocked Trump’s decision to remove commissioners Mary Boyle, Alexander Hoehn-Saric, and Richard Trumka Jr. All three had been appointed by former Democratic President Joe Biden, with their terms originally set to expire in 2025, 2027, and 2028 respectively.
Arguing that their dismissal was unlawful and politically motivated, the commissioners challenged the move in court, claiming that the president had exceeded his constitutional powers.
The CPSC, established by Congress in 1972, is tasked with protecting the public from hazardous or defective products. It sets safety standards, investigates product-related risks, and issues recalls. According to federal law, its commissioners can only be removed for "neglect of duty or malfeasance", not at the president’s discretion.
However, the Justice Department argued to the Supreme Court that such statutory limits infringe upon the president’s constitutional authority over the executive branch. It maintained that the CPSC performs executive functions and should therefore fall under direct presidential control.
Judge Maddox, in his 2 July ruling, sided with the commissioners, ordering their reinstatement. He cited an historic Supreme Court precedent which protected similar positions at the Federal Trade Commission. A federal appeals court upheld Maddox’s ruling, but the Supreme Court ultimately reversed it in favour of the Trump administration.
In their submission to the Court, the commissioners warned that their removal would undermine consumer protection and weaken public oversight.
This decision marks another in a series of rulings in which the Supreme Court has bolstered President Trump’s executive authority since his return to office. Notably, in May, the Court allowed him to remove Democratic members from the National Labour Relations Board and the Merit Systems Protection Board, despite existing job protections.
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